The NonDate
by felicidad
Summary: AU/Future/Chlex. Ch 3: They do lunch.
1. The First NonDate

Author's Note: This is/will be a Chlexy/AU/future fic. I don't own the characters, except for Sam (short for Samantha) and Tina. 

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The Non-Date: Chapter One

"So, how was your date?"

Chloe smiled and shut the door behind her. "I told you before I left," she explained to her roommate, laughing, "it wasn't a date!"

"Sure. The most eligible bachelor in Metropolis – the one you lovingly refer to as a 'billionaire playboy' – whisks you off for three hours of dinner and dancing, and it's not a date?"

"Sam's right, you know." Chloe's other roommate, Tina, walked into the living room, carrying a mug of coffee. She sat on the couch next to Sam and looked at Chloe expectantly. "So, are you going to talk, or just allow us to come to our own conclusions?"

Chloe shrugged off her coat and placed it on the rack. "It was nice, but it was also totally platonic."

Sam and Tina exchanged glances.

"I don't buy it."

"Me either. I mean, didn't he pick you up in a limo?"

Chloe walked into the kitchen and opened the freezer door. "Ahh…salvation." She pulled out a pint of (coffee flavored) ice cream, grabbed a spoon, and joined her friends.

"Lex and I have known each other for a long time. He moved to Smallville when I was in high school and we met through a mutual friend."

Sam rolled her eyes. "We know all this. That guy you were in love with, Clint? Clive?"

"- Clay?" Tina suggested.

It was Chloe's turn to roll her eyes. "_Clark_. And I wasn't in love with him. I had a crush on him, that's all."

"Whatever." Sam continued. "_Clark_ saved Lex's life, and he just started hanging out with you guys. But how come he's calling you now? You left Smallville almost six years ago."

Chloe ate a spoonful of ice cream, buying herself a moment to think. Why _was_ Lex calling her now?

*****

Tina took a sip of her coffee, watching Chloe. She had been staring into space for a few seconds, a slight smile on her face. Tina coughed and glanced at Sam, who shook her head and mouthed, "Is she asleep?" Tina shrugged and poked Chloe with her toe, jarring her from her reverie.

"Wha-? Oh, sorry. I was just thinking…" Chloe trailed off thoughtfully.

"About Clark?" Tina asked, just as Sam asked, "About Lex?"

Chloe smiled. "About them both. Clark and I had a bit of a falling out when I left Smallville. I think Lex was just checking up on me."

"Well, I want to hear all about it." Tina had still been at work when Chloe had received Lex's phone call and had also missed the non-date limo arriving a few hours earlier.

"It was nothing. He came to Metropolis for a business dinner, he didn't want to go alone, Pete had given him my number, so he called to see if I'd be his escort."

"Is that what you wore?" Tina gestured to Chloe's short black cocktail dress.

"Yeah, why?"

"Where'd you get it?"

Chloe sighed. Tina, apparently, already knew the answer; she just wanted to hear it from Chloe herself.

"Lex bought it for me and had it sent over."

Tina raised an eyebrow and sipped her coffee, but didn't say anything.

"Look, it's not a big deal. He called and asked me to go, I said I didn't have anything to wear, so he had Enrique bring it by."

"O.K, whatever you say, Chloe." Tina's eyes had a mischievous glint in them, and she and Sam looked knowingly at one another.

"Fine. If you guys are going to make such a big fuss about it, I won't tell you the great journalistic scoop I got."

Sam and Tina immediately snapped to attention. All three girls worked at the Daily Planet, and Chloe knew they were dying for a front-page story as much as she.

"Well?!" Sam yelped in frustration, when Chloe didn't say anything right away.

"Lex was here on business, right?"

The other two girls nodded.

"Well, it's because the Luthor Corp. investors feel that his dad is getting too old to run the company. They want Lex to move to Metropolis and take over."

"Wow," Tina whispered.

"So, is he going to do an interview with you or anything?" Sam asked.

"Actually, I honestly hadn't even thought about that," Chloe admitted. "But he does owe me."

"Oh my God! I can't believe you spent the _entire_ evening with Lex Luthor, and you didn't once think to ask him for an interview!" Sam's exclamation was followed by a sharp knock at the door.

"Who would be coming by at this hour?" Tina mused, "It's almost one a.m."

Chloe walked over and looked through the peephole.

"I don't believe it," she muttered, opening the door. On the other side was a delivery boy, holding a vase overflowing with various flowers.

"Are you Chloe Sullivan?" he asked.

She could only nod.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me," Sam said, walking up behind Chloe. "Now who on Earth could've sent those?"

Chloe smiled at the flower guy and reached for her purse to get him a tip.

"Don't worry about that, Miss. Mr. Luthor's taken care of everything." He handed her the vase. "And he's sorry about the strange arrangement. He said he didn't know what kind of flowers you like, so I said, 'Why not get one of each?' I had no idea he'd take me seriously."

While he was talking, Chloe found a small card buried in the flowers.

_Chloe,_

Thank you for a wonderful evening. I leave for Smallville tomorrow afternoon, but I'd really like to see you again. How does lunch sound? Give me a call.

Yours,

Lex

Chloe flipped the card over.

"I don't believe it!" Sam was practically yelling. "He gave you his cellphone, apartment, office, beeper, and limo numbers. He must want to talk to you pretty badly."

Chloe thanked the delivery boy for making such a late-night stop, then took the flowers into the living room, finally deciding on settling them on the coffee table. 

"Well, they're not 'Kentucky Derby' flowers, but they'll do," Chloe said to herself.

"What are you talking about?" Tina looked at her strangely.

"Hey! You can't put them there!" Sam complained, "they'll block the T.V!"

Chloe just reread the card and smiled to herself.


	2. A Second NonDate?

A/N: First of all, thanks for the reviews. This is my first attempt at Chlex (Why, oh why didn't that couple occur to me before? They're perfect for each other!), so I hope I don't screw it up too much. I figure having it set in the future is good, because any OOC moments can be attributed to maturity. I'd also like to give a (suburban) shout out to my kick-ass beta, **xixie**. She's actually going to start a companion fic to this one, detailing what Clark's up to (I'll give you a hint: he's not in Metropolis or Smallville). Seeing as how it's been a year (at least) since she last updated her own fics, you guys might want to encourage her with some e-mails. :o) 

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The Non-Date: Chapter Two

Lex Luthor was feeling good.

No, he was feeling…great.

Being with the Sullivan girl last night had done wonders. Although they hadn't seen each other face-to-face in years, they had communicated sporadically via e-mail and mutual friends. Her quirky, fiery personality was the same as always, but at the business dinner they had quickly moved past their old pattern of verbal judo (and subtle flirting) to real conversation (and subtle flirting). Lex felt refreshed, having someone listening to him who wasn't paid to do so. It was almost enough to take his mind off the more pressing financial and business matters he would be attending to in less than an hour…

The cell phone in the seat beside him rang and he reached over to pick it up. He hoped it was Chloe; he wanted to confirm their…lunch. He caught himself, realizing he had almost used the word "date." _Calm down, Luthor, _he mentally chided himself,_ you already have more enemies than friends. Don't go alienating the rest by imagining yourself attracted to Chloe._ He tried to picture the look that would no doubt appear on Clark's face as a result of being told that Lex Luthor was having romantic inclinations towards one of his oldest friends. Normally, that would have been enough to deter his thoughts. _Just not today…_

"Hello?"

"Mr. Luthor? I – um, I mean, Lex? This is Chloe Sullivan." 

He smiled. _It's about time she started using my first name_. "Hello, Chloe. Good morning, I should say."

"Is it too early? I can call back…" She sounded distracted.

"No, it's fine. I'm actually on my way to work right now." He could hear banging and cursing on the other line. "What are you doing?"

She sighed. "Trying to get my morning caffeine fix. I have to be at the Planet in half an hour and our coffee maker just broke."

"So you've resigned yourself to the torture that is non-Talon coffee?"

"Actually…" Now she sounded almost embarrassed. "One of the first things I bought when I moved back to Metropolis was a commercial-grade coffee maker. Lana helped me get it at a really great price, and I can make pretty much anything with it."

"I take it you and the Prom Queen have kept in touch?"

"Yeah. We got really close towards the end of high school. She was pretty upset about her breakup with Clark"-Lex almost expected to feel her grimace as she said the words, but Chloe sounded strangely unaffected by the memory of _that_ particular relationship-"I think Lana felt left out, not leaving Smallville when the rest of us did. But she had the Talon – _does_ I mean – and she and Pete have gotten really close, which is good for both of them. Did you know they're dating?"

"Well, after seeing the way they hang all over each other at the Talon, not to mention that Pete actually accepted a job at Luthor Corp. to be near her, _and _the fact that Lana can't stop buying all these silly bridal magazines-" he paused, listening to her giggle. "Let's just say I'd be a little surprised if it slipped past me."

There was a lull in the conversation. Lex pulled into a parking space at Luthor Corp. and turned off the car. He could hear Chloe banging; then a hiss of steam followed by her shout of triumph.

"About lunch…" he began.

"My break's at 12. There's a little café called Le Petit Déjeuner two doors down from the Planet; we could meet there."

"Sounds great." One of her roommates must have walked in; he could hear talking and laughing. Chloe had probably covered the receiver with her hand – her cries of "I will NOT ask him that!" and "Get your own billionaire playboy!" were somewhat muffled.

"Sorry about that, Lex. Sam says hi."

"'Billionaire playboy,' huh?"

"You weren't supposed to hear that."

"I've been called worse. So, lunch at 12. Do I need to make reservations?"

Chloe was smiling; he could feel the warmth through the phone lines. "It's not that kind of place. I hope you like it."

"I'm sure I will. See you at 12."

"Bye." 

Lex hung up and got out of the car, making his way toward the Luthor Corp. building. He had a few things to take care of before his…lunch (_NOT a date_, he told himself), and he wanted to make sure he got them out of the way. 

*****

Chloe hung up the phone and turned to face her smirking roommate.

"Let me guess. Another non-date?" Sam poured herself some coffee and leaned against the countertop. 

Chloe tried to glare, but it didn't last long. Her trademark grin spread ear-to-ear as she thought about Lex and their impending lunch together.

Tina walked into the kitchen, still groggy from sleep. "What's gotten into her?" she mumbled at Sam, who almost choked on her coffee from laughing.

" I think you mean _who_," she replied, reaching for a napkin to wipe up the spilt coffee.

"Sam!" Chloe tried to look to mad, but her grin wasn't moving. She settled for a fleeting look of annoyance, but even that failed to look convincing. "I'm meeting Lex for lunch at Le Petit Déjeuner and Sam is trying to imply that there is something other than completely platonic friendship at work," she explained.

"Well, have fun. But be careful."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that from what you've told us, this guy is an experienced womanizer; not to mention incredibly rich and powerful. I know you're a good judge of character and all, but I also know that neither Sam nor I want you to get hurt."

Chloe wavered between exasperation at Tina's motherly attitude and feeling touched that she and Sam were so concerned about her. Maturity won, and she decided to go with the latter. 

"Thanks for being concerned. But really, there is nothing going on between me and Lex. He probably just wants to make sure I'm not writing an article about last night." She saw Sam's head shoot up and added, "And I'm _not_. I wouldn't abuse our friendship like that." Sam looked disappointed for a fraction of a second, and then got over it. 

"Now if you will excuse me," Chloe continued, the smile slowly making a comeback, "I have to go change."

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A/N (again): Sorry if that was too short. I've been really busy with school, so I probably won't be able to post again until next Wednesday. I would suggest everyone go out and buy the Smallville comic, but it's been delayed until October. Ugh. 


	3. Lunch

A/N: Thanks, as always, to **xixie**. And to everyone who reviewed. Hope you like! :o)

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The Non-Date: Chapter 3

Lex stepped into the café, pulling off his overcoat. He had to admit, Chloe's choice of hangout was surprising. He was accustomed to the Talon, which was usually semi-dark and populated by kids half his age, brooding along with the angst-filled rock music Lana insisted on playing. Le Petit Déjeuner, on the other hand, was bright and cheerful. There were few people; mostly professional-looking 20-somethings, and everyone seemed to be either reading or talking animatedly in pairs. He found Chloe rather quickly. She had chosen a booth near the back of the restaurant, next to a window. Her head was bent down, reading, and she didn't seem to notice when he stopped at the table.

"Good book?"

Chloe looked up. Blinked, smiled. "Hey."

"Hey yourself. What are you reading?"

Chloe flashed the book cover. 

"_The Collected Poems of John Keats_?" Lex smirked. "I never would've taken you for a Romantic, Chloe."

She lifted her chin a little. "That just shows how little you know about me, Lex."

"So, what's your favorite?" he slid into the booth across from her.

"'Isabella; or, The Pot of Basil,'" she responded immediately.

He raised his eyebrows.

"Oh, come on! It's only, like, the most romantic story ever!"

"Refresh my memory."

"There's this woman, Isabella, and her lover dies, and so her friends go and cut off his head and give it to her wrapped up in this scarf and she plants it in a pot with some basil so that she can keep him by her side forever."

Lex smirked at her enthusiasm. "Wow. You're right, that is true love."

"I get the feeling you're mocking me."

He continued smirking but didn't respond.

"So, I take it the Romantics didn't make much of an impression on young Lex's boarding school education?"

"Something like that."

They were interrupted by the waitress taking their order. Lex realized he hadn't had a chance to look over the menu.

"What's good here?"

"Everything."

"OK." He turned to the waitress. "We'll take one of everything."

"No, we won't." Chloe threw an exasperated look at Lex, then turned to the waitress. "He's just kidding. I'll have a water and the chicken club sandwich."

Lex glanced at the menu. "Sounds good. Make that two, please."

The waitress wrote down their order and walked to the kitchen. As silence settled on the table, Chloe wondered (not for the first time that day) what exactly she was getting herself into. She wished she knew what he was thinking. Lex stared at her coolly from the other side of the table. She wished he would say something. His constant gaze was starting to make her nervous. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat and mentally racked her brain. There were so many things she wanted to ask, but most were of a decidedly personal or inappropriately professional nature. Lex had stopped granting personal interviews a while ago; apparently he was only ever interviewed by women who twisted around his words and depicted him in the worst possible light. Still, she was curious about his upcoming move back to Metropolis. And weren't friends allowed to ask questions? 

She was still arguing with herself when he cleared his throat and asked, "So, aren't you going to ask me about Luthor Corp.?"

She was taken aback, but only for a second. "Actually, I was just debating the best way to segue into that."

He smiled. "The Chloe I remember wouldn't have bothered thinking before letting the questions fly."

"Humph. Thanks a lot."

He raised an eyebrow, waiting.

"Well, there was one thing I was curious about, but it doesn't really pertain to the company as such…"

"Go on."

"Why did you ask me to go to the dinner with you last night? I mean, you could've gone with almost anyone. Wouldn't you have preferred one of your silicone-filled walking Barbies?"

Lex sighed. "There comes a time in every man's life when he realizes he has to grow up. For me, it was when my father was injured during the tornado. I won't say our relationship improved dramatically, but after that incident I was able to take on a more active role throughout Luthor Corp. and at the Smallville plant in particular."

Chloe nodded. "OK, but what does that have to do with last night?"

"If I'm going to take over fully, I need to demonstrate to my investors and business partners that I'm not a walking example of nepotism. Showing up with a 'silicone-filled walking Barbie' would have sent the wrong message. You, on the other hand, are a poised, intelligent" – he gestured to the book on the table in front of her – "well-read, and altogether charming young woman. You broke the monotony of an otherwise boring business dinner and helped me show that I can be more than just a 'billionaire playboy.'" His lips curved slightly as he noticed the blush on Chloe's cheeks.

"So, in other words, _I_ make _you_ look good?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes."

Chloe smiled, satisfied. "Good answer."

Their food came, causing a pause in the conversation. Chloe watched as Lex examined his sandwich with a critical eye, finally picking it up and taking a bite. He seemed to enjoy it, so she began eating as well.

"So, when are you finalizing the move?" she asked, taking a sip of water.

Lex swallowed. "Sometime next week. I actually had a favor to ask of you."

"Does it involve an interview?"

"Not really, but it might make for an interesting story."

"I'm intrigued. Do tell."

"A friend of mine is giving a benefit in Gotham City in two weeks, and I promised I'd attend. Luthor Corp. is donating a substantial sum of money and he wants me to present the check in person. You seemed to enjoy yourself last night, and I was wondering if you'd come along as well."

"Another night of wearing high heels and trying to impress famous rich people? What am I, your perma-escort?"

"Actually…" he watched her carefully. "I was thinking we could consider it a date."

That threw her for a loop. She thought for a minute, then smiled faintly. "You, Lex Luthor, want to date me, Chloe Sullivan?"

"If you'd rather just come as my escort, that's fine. I just thought…"

"No, no! That's OK. Great! Wait – oh, um, what I mean is…" - She took a breath. Lex smirked. He had rarely seen Chloe this flustered. – "I would love to go on a date with you." She smiled at him, her face burning with embarrassment. 

Lex smiled back and continued eating.

"_But_."

He paused, the sandwich halfway to his mouth. "Yes?"

"If I'm going to do the whole getting-dressed-up-oh-look-at-the-cute-trophy-girlfriend-thing, you have to agree to do something that I want."

"Fair enough." The smirk returned. "Your bedroom or mine?"

"That's not what I meant and you know it!"

He lowered the sandwich, interested. "What did you have in mind, then?"

"It'll be a surprise. I want to take you out to places I normally go with my friends."

"Let me get this straight. In return for flying you to Gotham City for a night of glamour and excitement, I get to slum it with you here in Metropolis, relieving the glory days of my youth?"

"If you want to look at it that way…" she grinned, "yes."

The slight twinkle in his eye belied his otherwise impassive expression. "Sounds like fun."


End file.
